I gaze quietly at the floating, cute beast, looking directly into his yellow eyes, which have tiny shards and hints of a light blue color. His pupils are wide, as the night sky stretches above us.


    This encounter with him is definitely less scary; his wide pupils make him look more human than beast. I expected some uncanny valley effect, but it’s not bad at all.


    He simply floats there in the air like a loaf of bread, with his paws curled underneath his belly.


    Occasionally, he waves his tail and stares at me, waiting for my answer. Almost like he’s teasing me, eagerly wanting to see my reaction.


    “Did you just say ''well of power''?” I blink continuously while staring at his pink snout with many whiskers underneath.


    “Meow.” He answers with a nod.


    “Okaay.” I gulp while quickly nodding in understanding.


    My eyes wander for a brief second, imagining all the crazy scenarios and possibilities a well of power could mean for me.


    I imagine a fountain filled with blue glowing liquid, which I will drink to gain powers.


    “We have barely a minute here, so first of all, is this a permanent new realm I’m now stuck in?” I quickly decide, based on previous encounters, that bombarding him with questions is a bad idea.


    I need to quickly ask relevant stuff in the most straightforward way, to save time and squeeze as much info as I can get, or else I’ll have to wait here for who knows how long again.


    “No.” He answers right away.


    Good, good.


    “Is this some sort of secret you only told me? Am I the only one who made it here?”


    “No.”


    Gosh, okay. I don’t have time for this now.


    “What is this well of power, some kind of water? Am I getting some new cool powers out of this or what?” I halt my flow of thoughts and stop after two questions.


    “Yes. Meow.” He confirms.


    I assume that "yes" is for both questions.


    “Where is it, and how do I get the powers?” I cover my eyes with my hand, facepalming after I again asked two separate things.


    He tilts his head up and nods above the castle walls.


    “Which arch out of these?” I ask.


    “Any.” The cat answers quickly.


    Hmm, okay.


    I nod, feeling reassured that my initial plan to climb up is what needs to be done anyway.


    “How do I get the powers?” I ask immediately.


    This feels more like an interrogation, but due to the small time frame, it has to be done this way.


    “Drink.”


    "Mlem."


    I chuckle as he licks his tiny nose just after saying "drink."


    Good, it seems my cliché imagination was right and is now confirmed.


    “So how do I get out of there after I gain my new powers?” I ask next, hoping for a positive answer.


    <hr>


    “Die.”


    The small white feline has no chill with me.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    “Ugh. Okay.” I gulp.


    Goddammit. What is this? Death and pain are literally the "Confirm" button here—I shake my head from side to side.


    But it shouldn’t matter to me; I have a bottle of acid, and my death could now be whatever I want.


    Maybe I’ll just jump out of one of those windows to conquer my fear of heights and desensitize myself a bit more.


    Stopping my train of thought, I look at Pocco once again.


    He seems comfortable and eager to help me. Despite claiming I’m his owner, he’s definitely getting something out of this.


    “So after all that, will you gain some powers with me too?” I ask, raising one eyebrow.


    “Statue.”


    That’s enough for me.


    We’ll look for the cave and statue in the desert anyway.


    From the length of our conversation, I already know he’ll disappear soon.


    To finally show my gratitude and because I feel a bit guilty for hating this small fella, I ask him one last question.


    “Can I pet you?”


    His ears immediately move backward, and his whiskers go up slightly as he anticipates the pat.


    “Meow.”


    *Scratching soft fur* followed by *Sneeze*


    My hand rubs his almost velvet-like fur a few times up and down.


    This part of his body is no longer translucent and is partially materialized. A lot of dust particles are spewed into the air, causing me to sneeze right away.


    Guess I won’t be getting allergy pills prescription anytime soon here.


    Thank God I don’t have any plant allergies.


    *Poof*


    *Sneeze, sneeze*


    He disappears from under my hand, and another wave of dust hits my nostrils.


    No time to slack off.


    I’m already stressed, knowing that the old man is probably sprinting towards the desert.


    Time to use my Focus.


    <hr>


    With my sledgehammer dragging behind me, held in my right hand, I start sprinting from the center of the quarry towards the shortest of the walls.


    Before analyzing the best spot to stop and jump, I channel most of my power into my lower body.


    The special move that was spontaneously discovered and rendered pretty useful against the Exiled One, and later even against Rhinoceros, will be recycled for climbing purposes.


    “Aaaaaargh. Now!”


    *Jump*


    I launch myself into the air, towards the sandstone block. Mid-air, my power shifts with ease—I’m kind of baffled at how easy this is to perform.


    *Clang*


    The hammerhead gets stuck in the crack, probably made by the hammer itself.


    Now my muscle mass is in my forearms, shoulders, and mostly in my hands.


    I’m lucky that the bug’s horn is coarse and dented enough not to slip.


    Maybe rubbing the stone floor with my sweaty palms was enough to get them covered in stone dust, making them perfect for gripping, just like a mountain climber’s pouch filled with white chalk or whatever that powder is.


    My sneakers never disappoint anyway—slippery, heavily thinned, and weathered soles are still good enough to let me hang over the sandstone wall.


    Gripping my hammer tightly with my left hand, I try to reach over the edge with my right.


    With a slight grunt, I pull myself up enough that the strain on the already weak horn-to-shiny-metal connection finally eases.


    “Grr. Phew.”


    Pulling myself up, I hop to my feet and lean on the hammer, dusting my clothes a bit.


    This in-the-air power-shifting move could be further mastered, but I need to practice it—great, another thing for my never-ending task list.


    <ul>


    <li>Visit Pyrios and ask him for a better sledgehammer head-to-bug''s-horn connection</li>


    <li>Search and gather green berries</li>


    <li>Desert berries? From the weathered list</li>


    <li>Practice jump and smash while shifting Focus</li>


    <li>Find the Well of Power</li>


    <li>Find Pocco’s statue</li>


    <li>Find the treasure cave near the desert from the old maps</li>


    <li>Explore the first settlement</li>


    <li>What was the beast that made that noise when the fat merchant''s temple disappeared?</li>


    <li>What’s in the sinkhole?</li>


    <li>What the hell is that gargantuan black castle?</li>


    <li>Dig up a trench and a small pond, shift water from the river near the Exiled One’s tower</li>


    <li>Unlock the skill next to Endurance</li>


    </ul>


    “Mmmm, what else?” I touch my chin while gazing at the many archways.


    "Ahh, yes. Loot the lecherous knight’s remains and improve my fashion." I giggle a bit.


    But now, it’s time to climb again.


    <hr>


    There is only one way up, and it’s through the archway.


    Gazing up for a good minute, examining the masonry and skill behind the tall structure, my neck starts to hurt.


    *Inhale deeply*


    “Time to repeat your favorite move, Mark.”


    But this time I feel a lot more stressed before doing it. Despite the archways being about the same height, maybe even shorter, than the ground level here, I’m afraid of the one-time chance.


    This is no joke anymore. I feel more confident fighting foes with acid because if I die, I still have plenty left. But this time...


    This time it’s different. If I fail to grab the ledge, I might fall seven meters, and that combined with the hard surface below is more than lethal.


    If my only escape from this place is death, I might waste my chance to visit the well.


    *Exhaling deeply while shaking a bit*


    <hr>


    “God, help me this time. I know I never ask you for help and don’t even know how to pray anymore, but... Please, I can’t fail this jump.”


    I mumble worthless words while squatting and wiggling my legs apart, finding the best spot to launch myself up once again.


    “Fuh, fuh, fuh.”


    Tightening myself up before executing the jump, I keep gazing at the spot in the arch, deciding that locking my hammer around the corner is the safest way to avoid any unwanted slip.


    *Fwoosh*


    I launch myself up—the hammer swings around my head, and I precisely smack the rocky wall.


    The exact place I had been staring at the whole time.


    *Clang*


    The hammerhead locks in perfectly, exactly as I planned.


    Quickly pulling myself up, I pat the floor with my hands, trying to get as far as possible from the edge as the stress makes me dizzy.


    <hr>


    An empty small room, more like a corridor—nothing else here besides the small marble-carved sink sticking out of the wall, like the ones in churches but wider.


    The walls are all natural, with no decorations. Room is dusty and feels forgotten.


    Leaning my hammer against the wall, I approach the sink and boldly dip my hands in, spooning the crystal-clear water.


    “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgggghhh!”


    “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgggghhh!”


    “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgggghhh!”